Girls Love Travis Walker

by Anne Pfeffer

To nineteen-year-old high school dropout Travis Walker, women are like snowflakes--each one different, but beautiful in her own way.

He can charm any girl he meets, and yet down deep he fears he'll always be a loser like his jailbird father. As the landlady threatens to evict him and his sick mother, Travis takes a job he hates and spends his evenings picking up girls at a nearby night spot.

When he enlists in a teen program at the local fire station, he finds out he’s amazing at it. Then he meets the smoking hot Kat Summers, enlists Kat’s friend Zoey to help him woo her, and falls in love for the first time ever.

But he keeps the details of his life secret. His girl will never love him back if she knows the truth about him….

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult, Fiction, Ebooks

323 pages, ebook

First published March 15, 2013

About the author

Award-winning novelist Anne Pfeffer grew up in Phoenix, Arizona reading prodigiously, riding horses, and avoiding rattlesnakes and scorpions. After living in Chicago and New York, she escaped back to the land of sunshine in Los Angeles. She has worked in banking and as a pro bono attorney, representing abandoned children in adoption and guardianship proceedings. Anne has a daughter living in New York and is the author of four books in the YA/New Adult genres.

Learn more at AnnePfefferBooks.com.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank god for a happy ending. I'm a hot mess over this book. What a journey ! I really fell for Travis and I really admire everything he did in this book for survival.

[CeCe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can't put my finger on it but this book just did not work for me. DNF at 20%. I was just bored and felt that the story was not going anywhere.

[ⒷⓞⓞⓚⓃⓔⓡⓓ · Rating 5 out of 5]

At nineteen Travis Walker was given more than his fair share of an unfair life. Having to look after his mom who has been in what seems to be a state of depression and is unable to contribute to keep them afloat, financially. Travis has had to shoulder the entire responsibility to take care of his helpless mother and himself. He had to quit school to work full time. He found time to work at a soup kitchen; he made time to participate in the Fire Department’s Discovery program with hopes that someday he will make something of himself. He knows what he wants and what he needs to do to get it and get there. Yet, he just couldn’t get a break. Each day life was a never ending obstacle to hurdle through. Kudos to this young man Travis Walker!

I was doing well emotionally until about 85% through when Travis’ life just went downhill. I was devastated, crying and aching! Maybe even more than Travis, who never gave up his dreams and hopes that somewhere ahead, life will get better.

Zoey, she is just all sorts of wonderful, amazing and could possibly be one of my favorite heroines. She’s compassionate, self assured, focused, down to earth and has brought out a different side of Travis. She’s so perfect for Travis, she keeps him grounded.

I had to keep reminding myself that Travis and Zoey were just nineteen but so “grown up”. I admired that in them.

This was a sweet, tender read. But it also came with truth and reality of being down on your luck, desperate, broke and homeless. It made me look at my life and reminded me how lucky I am that even if I don’t have everything, it is still more than what others may have. It reminds me to appreciate the little things in life and never take the simplest things for granted.

This book was a BIG surprise! It was more than what I expected it to be! Well edited and written. Thank You Anne Pfeffer for allowing me to read this in advance.

And YES, I ♥ Travis Walker!

™From My Playlist: Lumineers - Stubborn Love

[Cassie Mae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Love. Boy. POV's. And Anne Pfeffer is a genius at them. Travis is a great character to follow through his story, and I know so many can relate in some way to him. Especially the pressure some of us have to provide for our families when we feel like we have nothing.

I'm also in love with beautiful love stories, and I really appreciated the relationship Travis had with Zooey. They had crazy chemistry, leaving me feeling bubbly inside (and at some points, a little naughty ;)) That was another thing I adored about Anne's writing. *SPOILERS AHEAD!* The sex scenes weren't as explicit as we see in NA these days. This story was not about sex. It was about love. And the fade to black scenes were perfect.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking for a boy POV, a love story, and a story about how someone pushes through life's toughest struggles. Anne, please continue to write more books. Your voice is amazing.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the cover and read the title of this book, I was sold. What I thought was going to be just another lighthearted read was anything but. Yes, Travis Walker is quite the playboy and smoking hot. The girls do love him, they just can't help themselves. Even the high school principal is taken with him. Underneath it all, he is really a great guy, which is revealed as the book progresses and as Travis has to deal with some things no one his age should ever have to face. What starts out as a fun read turns into so much more. Travis' story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Travis' father is in jail, so it's just him and his mom on their own. Things are really tough for Travis and his mom, so tough that Travis has to drop out of school to find a job just so he and his mom won't be evicted from their apartment. When his mom loses her job, becomes ill, and sinks into a deep depression, all the burden falls on Travis' shoulders. He finds a job clearing brush in the morning and the late afternoon. He also helps at a soup kitchen during the middle of the day, something he volunteered for mainly because of a cute girl, and secondly to be able to feed him mom. Travis also find himself participating in The Discovery Program from the Fire Department, a program for teens who are interested in becoming firefighters. Not only does he love it, he is at the top of his class. While working at the soup kitchen, he gets to know Zoey, who runs the project and plans to be a social worker, and for the first time in his life becomes interested in more than just getting into a girls pants. Things get worse financially and his mom's health declines, but Travis doesn't want people feeling sorry for him. Travis is determined not to never be like one of the people that they help in the soup kitchen. His pride prevents him for telling those who could really help him about his situation, which could also wind up costing him everything he's working for..... his family, his job, his home, and even Zoey.

I loved Travis. I enjoyed watching his character mature as the book progressed. He was a total hottie for sure, but he also turned out to be an amazing guy. My heart broke for the things he went through, things I definitely wasn't expecting. The story is told from Travis' point of view, which I really loved. I liked Zoey's character, but did want to pop her a few times for the way she acted. It was eyeopening to see how judgmental people could based on assumptions, without really getting to know the people they were making the assumptions about. People made assumptions about Travis because he was popular and the girls loved him that weren't true. Granted, he made a lot of mistakes, but he also wanted to do things right and desired to be a good and honest person. What he had to go throughout in the latter portion of the story absolutely broke my heart, but Anne Pfeffer ends the story really well and I was very happy with the ending. Overall, what started out as a lighthearted fun read ended up turning into a really great one, one that sheds light on some social issues that anyone could wind up finding themselves in. Girls Love Travis Walker wound up being so much more than I expected and I would definitely recommend it.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this book on a blog that I follow (I wish I could remember which one, but I just can't) and the review that I read was so compelling that I had to immediately go and buy the book on Amazon. Still, it was outside of my normal genre and I had so many books that I needed to read for reviews that I just didn't get to it right away. How to solve the problem? Sign up for a blog tour so that the book would go to the top of my To-Read list! I'm so glad that I did! I LOVED this book!!


Why I loved it:
Travis Walker.
I have to admit that I was worried when I started the book. Travis comes off as an arrogant womanizer at first and I thought, "Really, I'm supposed to love this guy?" But it didn't take long before I started to realize that Travis' arrogance is really just a cover for a whole host of insecurities and a mask for the pain he feels because his life is crumbling around him. Travis works hard to keep his life together, both for himself and for his mother, but no matter how hard he tries and no matter what he does, he can't seem to pull it all together. And, worse, he feels like maybe he doesn't deserve any happiness at all - that maybe he is destined to follow in the footsteps of his felon father and that there is nothing he can do about it. Travis is fighting for control of a life that is completely out of control, so he hides behind his arrogance and his cool guy persona. Still, he's broken and he's terrified to share that brokenness with anyone. The further into the story I got, the more I related to Travis and I felt for him.

The fire station storyline.
If you had asked me if I would really enjoy reading a book where one of the major subplots takes place in a student firefighters program, I would have said, "Um. No." I honestly wouldn't have thought that it would be that interesting. But, it was. I loved hearing about their training program and all of the crazy drills that they did and I especially loved how Travis began to gain a sense of self-worth because of this program. This subplot also provided suspense because you knew that this one perfect part of Travis' life was likely to implode (for reasons that I won't spoil).

The romance.
It was so refreshing to read a book where the romance wasn't built on insta-love! This relationship felt real and it felt earned. Travis grew as a person because of the relationship before it even became a romance - loved this! And, while it was frustrating to see Travis mess up with the one person who really seemed to understand him, it just made you ache for him that much more and want everything to turn out okay. I also loved that, while the relationship was definitely central to the book, this was not a story ONLY about a relationship. The romance was just one element in a complete story.

The tears.
Yep, let me tell you that I totally cried like a baby during the last quarter of this book. The things that were happening to Travis were so completely heart-wrenching that I almost couldn't stand it. There were honestly a few times that I wanted to yell, "Travis, come on! You could save yourself all this pain if you would just let someone into your life! Tell someone what's going on!" But, the character was so well drawn that I could honestly understand why he wouldn't do it - he was just too certain and too scared that he would lose everything - it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I was so absorbed in Travis' pain that I absolutely could not put the book down until I was finished (at 1:30 in the morning). I like a book that makes me cry for all the right reasons. This definitely did that!

What I didn't love:
The title and cover.
The title and cover of this book just do not do it justice. Honestly, if I hadn't read a raving review about it, I probably would never have picked the book up. Girls Love Travis Walker just sounds like a fluff novel about a guy you're not really going to care about and the coolio kid in his sunglasses doesn't really help to dispel that undeserved image. Obviously, I felt like the book WAY outshone its title and cover, so don't let them fool you!

So, if you haven't figured it out by now, I was a BIG fan of this book. It was emotional and heart-wrenching in all the right ways and I find myself still thinking about it days later (especially about how the book handled homelessness).

[Stephanie- The Boyfriend Bookmark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for The Boyfriend Bookmark

Click here for review

Girls certainly do love Travis Walker. But who wouldn’t with an awesome body and a sexy smile, the girls seem to fall at his feet… until he meets Kat, who really doesn’t even give him a second glance.
This book starts out kind of sad and for me that was pretty hard to digest. Travis’s father is not in the picture and his mother has taken up residency in her bed leaving the young Travis to push his limits to keep the two of them afloat. Ok, so Travis was 19, however, he had missed so much school he had to live his senior year out twice. But everything was pushing against him. He had to have a full time job to keep him and his mother from being evicted, but what he found true passion in was the possibility of becoming a firefighter. And let’s face it ladies, that’s just hot. But with so many cards stacked against him, can he find his way to all of his dreams coming true?
He runs into Kat one day at a community center looking for part time work to fill in between his full time split shift. He wants her. She doesn’t really respond to him though. When he is offered a job at the community center, he gets to know Kat’s friend, Zoey. The two of them become great friends. Until the day when Travis realizes that he sees so much more in Zoey than he did any other woman in his life, including Kat.
This book was a personal journey more than a romantic fairy tale. Yes, you hope he ends up with his happily ever after, but the bigger picture is what is going to happen with Travis’s life. Is he going to have a job? Are he and his mother going to have a place to live? Will he be able to graduate or will he get a GED? The subject matter in this book made it a very powerful read.
I pulled out my snot rags at one point after everything in Travis’s life had gone wrong. My heart broke for him and his dire situation. This book was more powerful than the simple romance played out on its pages. I think Travis’s personal struggle is what made this book so full of raw emotion.
It was a well written book and really got to me on a deeper level than most books. I feel kind of bad saying I enjoyed it because of the nature of the book. But I thought it was a great book and no matter how cocky you think Travis is as the beginning, he ends up being someone completely different in the end.

*I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Pragya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Any Other Night by Anne Pfeffer last year and really liked it (read my review here) so when I got the offer to read another of her books, I jumped at the chance.

The way the book started made me feel as if 'oh, this will be yet another new adult contemporary plots I have been reading which have nothing new to offer' but a few pages into the book and I started to disagree with myself.

A great plot and absolutely very different from all the new adult books out there (you got to believe me, I have been reading a lot of them lately), this book came out to be a winner all the way.

And yeah the title is right, I did fell in love with Travis Walker. Not at first but gradually, oh yes! Bring him on. :)

I loved the tragic yet real plot, the well etched characters, the situations that played out. And this is embarrassing to admit but I ended up crying even though I totally shouldn't have. *sigh* But it was such a tragic, sad circumstance, I couldn't help myself.

Overall, a real gem of a story written equally well. I think I'm going to go check out the other two books by Anne Pfeffer. She's notched up a spot on my authors-to-look-out-for list.

Read more of my reviews at Reviewing Shelf.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl Loves Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer deals with some heavier issues than the misleading title (and cover) demonstrates. This is a fun read but it is in no way a light read.

Travis Walker.
Pfeffer gives Travis Walker a great voice. The book is wrote from his prospective. And she captured the mindset of a nineteen year old, ladies man very well. Travis knows he's good looking and knows how to work it.

However, Pfeffer, artfully starts peeling back different layers of Travis personality. And we slowly get different glimpses into his life and we see all his depth -- fears, passions, ethics, desires, and failures.

He is an awesome main character that involves throughout each chapter.

New Adult Genre.
This is one of the best books that I have read in the New Adult genre, because it dares to go down a different path. A realistic look into a nineteen year old boys life that is doing everything to survive the bad luck that life keeps throwing at him. It was heartbreakingly accurate at times as it depicted the different struggles.

And the sex scenes were actually tasteful (especially compared to other NA books) -- which I found kinda refreshing.

The Firefighters.
I loved this part of the storyline. It made me want to grab up another book about firefighters and start reading (Any suggestions?) It was really well written and give the story some added dimensions. One of my favorite parts of the story.

Favorite Character?
Garret. I don't think I am even suppose to like him, but I did. Even when he was being a bit of a punk, his talent as a firefighter, confidence, and occasional tenderness won me over.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was all set not to like Travis since it seemed like he was going to be a perpetual one-night stand. But then I found out he really wasn't. Early in the story he comes upon a crash and calls 9-1-1, helps one man stop bleeding, and leads rescuers to another one who had gone over a cliff. He was intoxicated with the rush when the firefighters went over the ledge and saved the man's life. The firefighters were pretty impressed with him as well and invited him to visit the fire station.

Through a program they offered for high school students, he soon found himself really believing that he could have a future as a fireman, the catch was that he had dropped out of high school. Now, he didn't drop out just because he was lazy. His dad was in prison and his mom was sick so it was up to him to take care of her. The only work he could find was during school hours. The money he made barely covered rent and soon he was volunteering at a soup kitchen in order to bring home food for him and his mom to eat. It was there that he met the girl that would change his life and his attitude towards dating.

I had a lot of respect for Travis, except for the fact that he didn't trust anyone and so wouldn't even let those closest to him know how down on his luck he and his mom were. He had to hit rock bottom and not even then was he willing to ask for help. I would like to read another book about Travis and see where his life heads after Girls Love Travis Walker.

[Aimie]

I tried really hard to finish this book, but if I had to read "I knew she would meet me for sex no questions asked" (Travis refering to every damn female he saw) one more time I would throw my iPad at a wall. I'd rather not break my iPad thanks. Sorry. I wanted to finish it but it just isn't going anywhere, I'm guessing he'll end up as a fire fighter and probably dating Zoey somewhere along the line. So in my mind that's what happened. :)

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

well there nt much to say bout this book bt the fact that.... I bloody loved it and travis was h.o.t. this book was a great read and it pulled at ma heart a few times too xxx

[Paula Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have decided that I need to be firm and try and clear my old books and not buy any new books and so I scrolled through and grabbed Girls Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer. Going in blind, I wasn't sure what to expect but it was such a good read and I found myself enjoying it a lot more than I thought. The book starts with introducing us to Travis Walker who seems like a playboy but deep down he is experiencing a lot of issues from the fact his dad is in Jail, his mum is sick and he is trying to keep the house afloat by working multiple jobs which have resulted in him leaving school for now. During one of his rides home, he witnesses the heroic acts of some firefighters and this inspires him to want to become one of them and make a difference. During the book, we read as Travis's life becomes a series of messes and if he's not careful then everything will come crashing down. I know often, especially for men, that they are often too proud to admit they need help and Travis Walker was one of those guys as he will soon discover that if he lets people in, he has a bigger support system than he ever realized and he isn't alone in this world and doesn't need to shoulder everything - that there are people who can help carry the burden. This book because of the themes and when we saw Travis's true colours ended up being a five-star read for me as we saw Travis's true self and he was a nice guy. Girls Who Love Travis Walker by Anne Pfeffer ended up being a diamond in the sea of indie books.

[Anncleire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog tour domani 11 maggio:
http://pleaseanotherbook.tumblr.com/p...


“This is the guy,” Perkins was saying to them, “who kicked Hale’s butt on that turn-out drill. He’s hungry.”

Ho scoperto “Girls love Travis Walker” perché sono una fan di Anne Pfeffer, di cui ho recensito Any other night e The wedding cake girl, entrambi davvero molto carini, e non potevo certo perdere l’opportunità di leggere il suo ultimo libro. E quando ho visto che avevo l’opportunità di partecipare al blog tour organizzato da RABT non potevo certo rinunciare a partecipare. Detto fatto…ed ora eccomi qui a presentarvi un libro molto bello.

Per il diciannovenne Travis Walker, che ha appena abbandonato la scuola, le donne sono come fiocchi di neve, tutte diverse, ma ognuna bella a modo suo. Può incantare qualsiasi ragazza che incontra, ma in fondo al suo cuore teme che sarà sempre come quel detenuto del padre. Mentre la sua padrona di casa lo minaccia di sfrattare lui e sua madre malata, Travis accetta un lavoro che odia e trascorre le sue sere a raccogliere ragazze in un club del posto. Ma quando si iscrive ad programma per ragazzi alla locale stazione dei vigili del fuoco, scopre di essere bravissimo. E poi incontra la bellissima Kate Summers, e assume l’amica di Kat, Zoey, per aiutarlo a conquistarla, e si innamora per la prima volta. Ma mantiene i dettagli della sua vita segreti. La sua ragazza non lo amerà mai se scopre la verità su di lui…

Anne Pfeffer ha la capacità piuttosto rara di unire uno stile semplice e immediato, alla profondità delle sue storie che non sono mai scontate e che anzi, regalano al lettore la sensazione di leggere un libro che conta, di quelli che riescono ad arrivare dritti al cuore.
È Travis che racconta le sue vicende in prima persona, ed è tramite lui che soffriamo e ci disperiamo. Travis è il classico play boy, che non si interessa di nessuna ragazza, se non nel momento in cui si concedono a lui, ma è anche un ragazzo con una situazione familiare difficile. Tutto il libro si basa sulla sua voglia di farcela, di non arrendersi, di superare il fantasma del padre che continua a pesare sulle sue spalle. Travis non vuole essere un fallito, non vuole ritrovarsi in carcere, vuole fare qualcosa della sua vita. E si fa in quattro, anche per aiutare la madre che in qualche modo è malata e non riesce ad aiutarlo in nessun modo. Tutto il peso è sulle spalle di Travis che cerca di arrangiarsi come può. Deve farsi in quattro per salvare il loro appartamento e tutta la loro vita che si riduce a qualche scatolone. Abituato ad arrangiarsi ed a non avere nulla, Travis non si aspetta nulla dalla vita e anche le occasioni che gli capitano davanti vengono rigettate come colpi di fortuna. Ad ogni momento il ragazzo si aspetta di essere messo da parte e rifiutato, nonché buttato fuori. Ma è questo che lo rende adorabilmente simpatico e irresistibile. Non solo il suo essere fisicamente molto attraente con il suo sorriso appariscente, il corpo tornito dal duro lavoro sotto il sole, ma anche la sua pazienza, la sua dolcezza, il suo esserci in qualunque momento, il suo essere totalmente ed incondizionalmente generoso e assolutamente non egoista. Si sacrifica in ogni modo, compie imprese inimmaginabili ed è assolutamente perfetto. La sua aria quasi menefreghista e totalmente sulle sue lo rendono ancora più bello e affascinante agli occhi delle donne. Tutti lo adorano, ma nessuno riesce a penetrare il muro che lo circonda ed ad accorgersi della sua condizione precaria. Indossa una maschera e non si lascia vedere da nessuno, neanche dalla ragazza che ama più di ogni altra cosa al mondo. Ciò che fa davvero la differenza è lo stage dei “Discoverers” al centro dei vigili del fuoco con il capitano Perkins che lo prende sotto la sua ala protettrice e Travis letteralmente sboccia a nuova vita.
L’unico altro personaggio importante della storia è Zoey una ragazza davvero molto speciale, che vuole fare l’assistente sociale.
Il messaggio fondamentale del libro resta il sottolineare l’enorme divario che esiste tra ricchi e poveri, coloro che hanno tutto e sprecano qualunque tipo di risorsa e chi non ha nulla, dalla casa ai vestiti puliti. E la bravura della Pfeffer sta nel descrivere questa realtà senza cliché, senza perbenismi, ma solo con tanta bravura e delicatezza, sottolineando l’importanza della solidarietà e dell’interessamento vero, quello di volontari, amici e sostenitori, che ogni giorno si impegnano seriamente per aiutare chi è in difficoltà. Chi ha le capacità deve essere messo nella condizione di riuscire ad ottenere ciò che vuole e realizzarsi professionalmente.

Il particolare da non dimenticare? Una sega elettrica.

Non posso che consigliarvi la lettura di questo libro, intenso e stupefacente, come lo sono tutti i libri della Pfeffer. Uscito lo scorso marzo mi auguro davvero che sia un successo, perché scrittori del genere meritano davvero il successo. A volte siamo davvero intasati di libri da leggere e scrittori da scoprire. Ma prendetevi del tempo per dare una chance alla Pfeffer. E d’altronde non si dice mai di no ad un hot boy!
Buona lettura guys!


Ringrazio immensamente RATB per avermi concesso di partecipare a questo Blog Tour in cambio della mia onesta opinione. Grazie!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Male perspective romance dealing w teen poverty/homelessness

[Guia · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Ebook provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

If you’ve been following my reviews, then you probably know how much I love bad boys. If you’re a new reader, then now you know. So, it’s really not that surprising that Anne Pfeffer’s GIRLS LOVE TRAVIS WALKER easily wormed its way into my heart.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Travis Walker is your quintessential bad boy. If he isn’t a bad boy then I don’t know what is. He’s handsome, he’s sexy, the chicks dig him, and damn if he doesn’t know it. Travis Walker knows how to use every bit of charm in his arsenal to get himself out of really sticky situations. But his looks can only get him so far.

Travis Walker may look like a celebrity but he is far from one. When their cash suddenly runs dry, nineteen-year-old Travis is forced to leave all the partying and the girls behind to pay the bills and take care of his mother who seems to have forgotten she had a son at all. With bills to pay and stomachs to fill, Travis drops out of school and finds work to earn enough money to keep them afloat. But what decent job can a high school drop out get?

Even after finding a steady job doing hard manual labor, what little he earns still is not enough. Travis finds himself struggling to survive each day, even if it meant volunteering at the local community center in exchange for food to take home to feed his mother.

This is where he meets Zoey, the girl who finally reaches out to him like no other girl has ever done before. Travis knows all about the female sex. In fact, they practically worship the ground he walks on. But every connection he has made with a girl has been superficial at best. Zoey intrigues him. She makes him feel things he has never felt before. And now, the one girl who he’s finally determined to make his is the one girl who’s always just out of reach.

Girls Love Travis Walker really appealed to me in the sense that it’s more than just your typical YA Contemporary Romance novel. For me, it felt a lot like a redemption story. Travis’ redemption story. When shit hit the fan, it was easy to see how shaken up a person could be but I admired Travis’ character as he takes each punch life throws at him and gets up stronger than ever. Of course, this only adds yet another level of bad bay hotness to Travis. Ann Pfeffer made him so much more than a pretty face and that’s exactly what I love about him as a character.

Even after everything he is going through, we see Travis’ determination to make it all better. His desire to set his life right is tangible. I can practically taste his desperation as he claws his way up his shithole of a life and make something more out of it, something more than what people expect from him… become something better than a high school drop out on the road to nowhere.

Despite of the bad boy persona, Travis Walker is just one giant softie on the inside. He’s smart, he’s dedicated, he’s determined, and he’s basically any girl’s dream guy (well, this girl at least). He’s got a heart of gold but sssshhhh, we don’t want to ruin his bad ass reputation, now do we? It’s utterly endearing how he helps his mom through everything (a bad boy who’s also a mama’s boy? Now THAT is one hell of an adorable combo… but don’t tell him I said that!). As bad as their situation is, he never failed to think about what was best for his mom. Every thing he does, he does it for her.

He may act like a cocky bastard most of the time but that’s just it, it’s mostly just an act. We get to see the real Travis Walker and okay he’s still cocky, but bastard would be the last word I’d use to describe him.

It was so fun to read Ann Pfeffer’s GIRLS LOVE TRAVIS WALKER. As a reader, I can’t help but fall in love with Travis right from the start. It was a breeze to read and I love how easy going the story telling is. The author was able to channel and translate Travis Walker’s personality into her writing and it’s a real treat to put myself in Travis’s shoes as I read the book.



*************

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[Ryan Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travis was such a delightful character! As soon as I received this book, I dove right in. There was a lot to love about the book. Travis was a stand- up character. No, he was not perfect. He openly admitted that he lost himself in different women he found at clubs, because it was something fun to do that took his mind off his troubles for a while. He thinks love is this fleeting thing that lasts a night, before one of the people show their true colors. I cannot tell you how much I adored his character. I just can't.

The entire book is told from his point of view. Travis Walker does not have it easy. He is having to repeat his final year in high school, since he had to work the previous year and failed. He is the sole bread- winner in his family. His father left a long time ago (jail) and never contributed much to the house. And his mother cannot keep a job and is becoming more and more depressed to the point where it is scaring Travis. He ends up having to stop attending school and gets s job doing labor. While looking for the job, he stops by a shelter and meets a hot girl, who he thinks is a welcome distraction from his life, which is crumbling into an unrecognizable mess. She is gorgeous, playing hard to get, and her name is Kat. Travis is resilient in his quest for the dark- haired beauty, even going as far as reigning in her friend- Zoe- to act as a go- between to get her to date him. Things get rough for him and he has to trade work at the shelter for food for his mom, with the added benefit that he may run into Kat. The only problem is, the more time he spends at the shelter getting to know the workers and the people, the more Kat seems like a distant memory. Could there be someone better right in front of him?

While I adored the romantic progression of the story, it was not my favorite part of the novel. The book would not have been as awesome without it, but I feel like I still could have enjoyed it sans the romance. (I mean, you would not have been able to get me to read it without some kissy kissy action, but that's beside the point) Why? Because the romance is not exactly the main focal point of the novel. It takes a backseat to the other aspects of Travis's life, but that made it no less important. He just had to make time for everything that was going wrong or right in his life, and the novel had to portray that.

My favorite part was the emotional journey Travis had to undertake when everything was all falling to hell. He had to reach inside himself and find the courage to go after what he wanted in life (even when all the cards were stacked against him) , instead of just barely surviving. The times when he was upset or angry at his mother for never helping and letting all the bills and worries of the world fall on his shoulder, but would still do anything and everything in his power for her, was heartwarming. He truly was a great guy. He hits a few really rough patched in this book, and I felt it. I guess the book really resonated with me, because it is harsh when something happens and the weight of bills, schools, and work falls on the kids shoulders. I know. I've been there. I still am there, so this book and Travis's story really affected me. I loved this book, man. Loved it.

I absolutely love that this book highlights real problems. Being homeless, unable to find a job, self- doubt, and lots of other equally real and somewhat sad prospects.

I mean, Travis had his moments where I wanted to roll my eyes, but we all have moments where we are not at our finest (some more than most.). For the most part, however, Travis was a very well- developed character who had new-found hopes and aspirations who never stopped fighting to survive, even when all the cards were stacked against him. The story was very inspirational and emotional. And there was some cute flirting, which can never hurt. ;)

Final verdict?
Loved it.

5/5

(the only problem I had was that I would have liked to get to know the love interest a little better. I mean, Travis learns a lot about her, but she still felt a little less real to me. So in reality, it is a 4.5. Then again, this is Travis's story for the most part and not solely a story about those two, so I will let it slide and round up to a 5. *shrug*

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the cover, I didn’t expect much from this book. My judgement was so very wrong.

I could’ve explained my problems but thought I’d do her a favor and let her peg me for an asshole early. She could do way better than me – she just didn’t know it.

Yes, Travis is a playboy, a jerk. The kind of guy that you would kill if he tried his moves on your daughter or the daughter of anyone you know. I find that this is his outlet, his escape from the realities of his life: his father’s a loser in prison, his mother is a basket case, and he’s dropped out of high school to work to support his family…but even a full-time job clearing brush isn’t enough to pay the bills. Travis goes in search of a second job, and strikes a deal with Zoey to work at the Community Center soup kitchen. This enables him to not have to take on an additional job, and he gets to know Zoey.

I was a quitter, a dropout. A nobody on the road to nowhere. But what was I supposed to do? Live in our car with Mom?

Travis takes his dad’s life choices, and that fact that he himself is a dropout, very seriously. Travis can’t see beyond dropout. He knows why he had to drop out, but he constantly calls himself a loser and downgrades himself for dropping out. He is extremely hard on himself.

As the novel progresses, Travis comes upon a wreck one day and steps into action. He is amazed at the firefighters that respond to the scene, and they praise him for his quick work in the face of the emergency. They invite him to their station, which has a Saturday program for high school students who are firefighter hopefuls. Travis decides to join the program, but there’s just one problem: he has to be enrolled in high school. He keeps going each Saturday, showing up all of the other guys, and getting on the ever-loving nerve of Garret, the rule-book lover and enforcer, who is in charge of the program. I thought the entire book, Garret would have it out for Travis because the Chief liked Travis, but I was pleasantly surprised and I immediately warmed to Garret.

I could tell her everything and be a loser, or keep my mouth shut and be an asshole. I was screwed either way.

Travis also starts morphing. He no longer goes to Chick’s to meet girls he’ll never talk to again. He is focused on paying the bills, the Discoverers program, and Zoey. I loved the changes I saw in Travis, the growth that he experienced and the internal struggles he had to overcome in order to express who he truly was and no longer hide behind the asshole facade. When everything crumbles around his ears, Travis holds it together, but hides it from Zoey. He knows that the second he opens his mouth and pours everything out, Zoey will be gone…but at the end of the day, she’s all he’s got left.

I highly recommend this read. Travis takes a long, hard, emotional journey throughout the book, and he is stronger than he looks, but sometimes too strong to let the emotional side of himself be expressed. Garret turns out to be a great guy who advocates for Travis and has his back. Zoey is a kind, sweet girl that grows in several ways when Travis walks into her life. She goes on her own emotional journey, prompted by Travis, and becomes a stronger person…too strong to deal with Travis’ seemingly lies.

I hate some of the things Travis does – the womanizing, specifically – but he is the type of underdog character you can’t help but love. Perhaps he reminds me a little of my own brother, who deep down is a good person, but sometimes chooses to look like an asshole. Travis is an endearing character, and I fell in love with the kindness and compassion that he showed throughout the novel.

[CCAM&GZM · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No way out."

“If you fail, it’ll be your own damn fault!”

Girls Love Travis Walker - what story do you expect with such a title? If you expect an easy romance in which a heartbreaker guy will find his match, you're wrong. This is the second book when the title tricks me, but luckily, I liked both books one more than the other.

Travis, contrary to the image that he puts up, is not the usual lady’s man type, without a care, not even the one about finding out who will be his next victim. Yes, he is a no strings attached lover, but he is fair and honest with his conquests that should know from the beginning how it works. What not many people know or rather almost nobody know, are the problems he has to face. Problems that he needs to cope alone. Why alone? Because here, the pride and the prejudice have completely different faces and applications. Travis is a fighter, but he is too young for what life has merciless booked for him, trials that could kneel and despair even an adult.

"I would have to suck it up and stay alive."

Thus, contrary to what you could think such title would bring, we will get Travis’ forced maturation. He fights to exhaustion, but in spite of everything he does, his successes are temporary and seem insignificant. All that he prevails is destroyed by the previous decisions, decisions that at their making not only seemed to be the best solution, but truly the only one. His thoughts are sincere, his judgment appropriate to his condition. The author manages to convey very well Travis’ evolution. As his physical beauty and the attractive way that he acts were declared from the beginning of the story, the reader will discover step by step his inner beauty. Young Travis is still attracted to the "needs" of his age, to the desire to have fun. The heaviness of these desires (and how he wants to meet them) gradually changes in his mind and this change occurs naturally. In fact, the naturalness, the credibility of everything that happens along with author’s style and sensibility, is one of the trumps of the story. All that it happens (to him), the exponential afflux of his problems and the growth despair are possible in the real world and there is not even a moment for you to feel that something is exaggerated.

“When I first saw you, I thought you were both the handsomest and the saddest boy I’d ever seen.”

In the same time with his “social” story, it takes place Travis's love story. A love story that starts not at first sight, on the contrary, but one in which the feelings grow up and acquire solid foundations. The romance doesn’t lack of ups and downs given the reality of Travis; as I said, the pride and prejudice have here other applications and effects.

In addition, wreathed in an appealing story, the author manages to make a subtle social critique and to give, without being in any way intrusive, some tips regarding our day young people's lives and their mores. Who knows how to read will find enough aspects to consider for their future decisions.

The story flows smoothly, but like a river that receives tributaries and whose bed is in danger of no longer support the flow and it will have to bite the banks. And the banks are in fact parts of the soul and even of the body of Travis. There is a crescendo, there is a desperately climax and a denouement that can be ... any.

The duty, pride, love, prejudice and fear of it, the desperation and a poor, poor hope will be the coordinates of the life of the one that all the girls love.

I liked it? Certainly. Do I recommend it to you? Of course!

"Fall down seven times, get up eight."

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What did it say about my prospects, that I was raised by not one, but two parents who couldn't cut it in the race of life? I'd probably been doomed from birth.

I absolutely loved this book!!! I have had books by Anne Pfeffer on my TBR list for a while now but hadn't gotten around to reading any yet. I am now so glad that I finally have.

My first impression of this book was the cover. Gorgeous guy who has that look of being self assured and confident. Then there was the title... Girls Love Travis Walker... Ok, I thought, this is going to be one of those books about a guy who has girls throwing themselves at him from all directions. And then after reading the book blurb I thought I was going to read a story about a guy who had a few hurdles to overcome.

I was a quitter, a dropout. A nobody on the road to nowhere.

Little did I know that what I was about to read would have such a huge impact on me. I read a good chunk of this book with eyes glazed with tears. This book hit me right in the heart. From about a third of the way through I just couldn't put it down. I was up until 3.30am reading it and then when I went to bed I just could not get to sleep because it kept playing in my head.

Travis Walker was just so completely likeable. He is gorgeous, with a beautiful body and a confidence to go with it. He knows what he's good at and has no qualms about admitting it. He knows how to make a girl feel good. And he's made many girls feel good. And he does it on a regular basis. But that is just the surface of Travis Walker.

I really don't want to go into the finer details of things and have the story spoilt for you but let's just say that Travis has been dealt a crappy hand. And he just can't cut a break. At every turn he is slammed back down again. Each time when he thinks that maybe things are getting a little better and he's making some headway, it's like someone said "Things are looking up there Travis. We can't have that!!! Back down the ladder you go!!!" And each time it happened, my heart broke a little bit more. It was impossible not to be affected by his struggles as his world slowly unravelled around him as he tried with everything that he had to hold it together.

I adored the care and concern that he showed for his Mum while silently begging and wishing and hoping that she would help him out. Even as everything happened he didn't give up on her and put her needs before his own.

When Zoey's eyes met mine, it felt like I was reliving every warm, safe thing that had ever happened to me, every hug from mom, every cup of hot chocolate.

There is also a beautiful romance in this book. Romance told from the males point of view is for me about as good as it gets and seeing things through Travis's eyes was wonderful. The girl who captures his attention is Zoey. She was perfect with Travis. And while their romance isn't without it's hurdles, I loved seeing it develop through the different stages.

This book was full of reality and I think that is why it twisted my heart so much. The characters were real and the story development was real. The writing was outstanding and if Anne Pfeffer's other books are even half as great as this one then she will have me as a fan for a very long time to come!!

Girls Love Travis Walker.... I know this one sure does!!!

5/5 Heart wrenching Stars!!

[Lenore Kosinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://celebrityreaders.com/2020/03/...

ORIGINAL REVIEW:
4.5 stars — In some ways I think the blurb for this book does it an injustice. It evoked way more emotions from me than I was expecting…I guess I really thought it was gonna be more fluffy….but then again rereading the blurb it does mention what Travis is going through, so it could be just me too…my brain is operating on a weird wavelength lately.

So I guess that little rambling up there was mostly to say that I was uber pleasantly surprised by this book!! In fact, if I hadn’t been sitting in the middle of a Chateau Lake Louise restaurant while finishing it, I would have definitely blubbered all over the place….it was hard to maintain zero tears. Travis was a spectacular and real character. He made silly decisions based on pride, and it was so hard to watch him flounder while you shouted at him to talk to people, let someone in! I’ve only read a smattering of stories that touch on that line of poverty right before homelessness, and I thought Ms. Pfeffer did a fabulous job. Travis was such a guy guy at times, and his public face could be one thing, while you watched what went on behind the scenes. I LOVE guy POV books, and this one did not let me down. Sometimes I worry that the character’s voice will be too girly, since it’s written by a female author, but Ms. Pfeffer did a great job of….well, I guess maintaining his masculinity. And it was kind of interesting to see a guy who slept around a lot not b/c he could, although that was part of it, but also b/c he just genuinely had a love of the female form.

All the little subplots fit so well…his counsellor trying to keep him in school, the brush clearing job, the community center, his homelife, and the fabulous opportunity with the fire department. And then there was the love….oh the love. Yup, that was thoroughly enjoyable too. 🙂 And I really loved her reaction at the end of the story after the big climax and her explanation…b/c you know what?? That’s exactly how I would react…at first I was wondering where it was going, but then when she explained I knew her heartache and uncertainty. Of course, this part of my review probably makes no sense since I’m trying not to be spoilery, but still want to weigh in on things. This is why I will never be a professional reviewer. 😉

NOTE: I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book from the author when I requested it — thank you very much!!

ON REREAD:
4 stars — This one held up amazingly well on reread! I still felt a lot of emotions, and it was still seriously hard to watch all the struggles that Travis goes through. He’s a genuinely good guy deep down, but he’s also a teenaged guy with the flaws that come along with that. I still found him fairly realistic, even in his boneheaded moves for pride. And I appreciated that he raged against his circumstances, that it really had a profound effect on him. Basically, I loved it almost as much as the first time around!

I will also say that my original review mentioned the blurb, but it has since been updated and I feel like it’s a much better fit with the story.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book just seems to really grasp you -

Makes me think though - I've seen a lot of homeless people that aren't even really homeless. Just out on the streets looking for a free handout -
It's hard to tell who really needs the help, and who is just too lazy to get it -
I think I've lost track on how many times I've handed change over to someone and later learn from the news that they weren't who I thought they were.

Travis is down on his luck - he's only 19 years old , the poor guy couldn't even graduate with his class because he had too many absences from having to work extra hours - But his senior year, again - things got worse.
With is dad in prison, his mom sick - they're about to lose their apartment.
His guidance counselor tries to help him out. She sets him up with her brother in law doing heavy labor work -
Travis LOVES the feel of heavy labor works. So when he meets with his new boss, he lets him know he's there full time, not part time -

The land lady keeps on Travis for being late on rent. he hands over his paycheck each Friday, but it's still not enough to get them caught up.

Travis heads over to the local community center in search of a shower on his lunch break. There he meets Kat - wow! Beautiful Kat . lol
He doesn't get the job, but he still goes back the next day looking for Kat. She's not there. But her friend Zoey is there. He leaves a note with Zoey to give to Kat for him.

He gets the brush off from Kat - but Travis still thinks he's in the game. Going back to the center one more time, he leaves another message for Kat with Zoey.

Zoey becomes annoyed, but lets Kat know Travis stopped by.

After a few days, Travis gets a call from Zoey. She's in charge at the community Center helping out in the Lunch area. They need a strong guy to come help them out at lunch time. Since Travis has 4 hours for his lunch break and the free food for him and his mom would help save money for rent. He takes the job.

Travis swears he'll never become one of those homeless people, the ones that need that much help.
But things just keep getting worse and worse for Travis - He tries his hardest, but it's just not enough.

I really enjoyed reading about Travis at the fire station. That was really interesting, and HARD work! Gives you more to appreciate those men and women out there to help us.

This book was hard and emotional, but not too much. Travis wouldn't let you get too emotional for him. He's a strong guy determined to do things the right way, and doing them himself. He doesn't want hand outs, he doesn't want people to feel sorry for him. He just wants to survive, and get his mother healthy again.

Great story! Very different from other's I've read :)

[Compulsion Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are of the female persuasion, then watch out. Travis Walker has a sizzling smile, experienced hands and enough charm to fill a swimming pool – and it’s all focused on you. He may not ever call again, but you won’t be forgetting last night any time soon.

Travis Walker – Girls want to be with him and guys want to be him. It’d be easy to feel a twinge of jealousy for the nineteen-year-old who seems to have it all…unless you dive below the surface and discover what all that attitude is hiding.

Travis’s worn-out clothes aren’t expensive vintages. With his father in jail and his mother falling deeper and deeper into a paralyzing depression, Travis must quit high school and work full time to keep himself and his mother off the street. Each week is a struggle to find enough food to eat, keep the car running on five dollars’ worth of gas and sweet talk the landlady into accepting last month’s rent in installments.

In the midst of this bleak situation, Travis meets an amazing girl who seems immune to his charm and discovers the faint hope of a better life when he joins a youth firefighting training program. He may be able to woo the girl and complete the firefighting program…if he can keep his poverty a secret and somehow stave off eviction.

Travis Walker is an immediately lovable protagonist. You can easily forgive his cocksure attitude and arrogance when you discover the huge burden of responsibility that he carries. Throughout the book, Travis uses his charm and that wicked smile to protect himself from the shadow of his father’s failure, his mother’s breakdown and the swirling black waters of hopelessness.

Author Anne Pfeffer gives Travis a strong and believable voice and populates his world with well-developed characters, including the angelic Zoey, who might just turn Travis from his playboy ways.

Girls Love Travis Walker swept me away into Travis’s world. The pace of the story and strength of the plot was flawless. I found myself worrying deeply for Travis and unable to put this book down. It’s been a while since I’ve been this emotionally invested or have struggled to stave off tears as I read.

This is a great read that I think will particularly appeal to the older teen and new adult crowd. Please note that this book contains swearing and sex, which I thought added realism to Travis’s experience.

I only have one critique for this book. Yes, the girls certainly do love Travis Walker, but I feel the book’s title doesn’t do justice to the many layers of Travis’s character or the significant growth he experiences throughout the story.

Other than that, Girls Love Travis Walker earns a place on my must-read new adult list.

[Skandia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been wary with NA and YA books lately. Lots of similar and mediocre stories. Recently my best reads in those genres have come from Indie Authors and I have discovered couple of really good authors by taking chance on reading outside mainstream publishers.

Girls Love Travis Walker has won National Indie Excellence Award 2013 and had some great reviews, so I put aside all my bestsellers in waiting and picked it up.

Honestly, I expected the book to be another bad-boy-falls-for-good-girl, insta-love-sort-of-story and easy, fluffy read. Oh boy, was I wrong.
I did not expect this book suck me in and tell me a story that makes me look at some things in life differently and I certainly didn't expect it to be an unputdownable read.

So, yeah, there is a reason why girls love Travis Walker and as I'm also a girl, I can't help but love him, too. It's not just his undeniable charm and good looks, but the determination and strong will to become somebody and fight the really crappy circumstances, tough luck and bad background.
Travis refuses to give up and become a looser, so he fights. He fights to find help for his sick mother, he fights to find a job and pay rent, he fights to stay in a program of learning to do something he really loves. All odds against him, he almost breaks and becomes one of those homeless people we all have seen looking for food in dumpsters and living in a cardboard box.

Travis's story shows us the other side of becoming a homeless person. There is so much prejudice, pointless assumptions and overwhelming bureaucracy that most people caught in the middle of all this never get a chance, they just break and give in and end up on the streets. You can run against the brick wall only for so long.

Of course there is also a love story. In the middle of all the hardship, Travis finally looks behind the pretty face and starts to value different treats in a girl. Such as kindness and compassion and loyalty. It takes time and it's not easy for him to trust another person, open up and ask for help.

Author has done a really good job in telling the story. Despite the difficult subject matter and many adversities, this book manages to stay positive and avoid the all embracing angst and overflowing emotions so typical for NA and YA novels these days. It is also considerably closer to a “clean romance” than the majority of books in those genres.

All in all, a great story with great characters and maybe a life lesson to learn for all of us fortunate people.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much more than I thought it would be, and it was pleasantly surprising, an absolute joy to read. This is the second book I've read by this author and I'm not disappointed by her at all. Really enjoyed reading this book and it pulled at my heart strings on many different levels.


We meet Travis as the ever loving player that everyone knows him to be, he will go to Chicks one day and hook up with somebody and just move on to the next one the next day. But no one really knew what was going on with Travis behind the scenes, the one who went home at night to a deep sadness for his mother and a feeling of failure on his own part. No one sees the turmoil with having to drop out of school just so he can support his mom and himself and the struggle he faces daily with trying not to become homeless.


One day he just happens upon an accident, does the right thing by calling 911 and is absolutely fascinated with the firefighters that come and rescue a motorcyclist that fell off a cliff. That one moment changed his life forever, he knew he wanted to become a firefighter, and he knew he would be good at it. It turned out well when he had a chance at trying out and working with firefighters but there were always things holding him back, such as responsibilities, the absolute need to work and support his mother. These were secrets he didn’t tell anyone, even someone he met and finally believed he cared for.


Things had changed for Travis dramatically after this accident he witnessed. Throughout the book your heart goes out to him and all the trouble he goes through, it’s as if he just can’t catch a lucky break at all. If it wasn’t one thing it was another and he was constantly worried that his secrets would be found out. It was a rather endearing story about growing up and realizing that you can be exactly what you want to be and you can definitely be better than you parents were, are or every thought of becoming. Even with his relationship with Zoey growing more each day he still finds it hard to admit the secrets he holds back from her.


This book really goes to show you that if you put the effort in things can happen for you and even if you are down in the dumps, literal or not, there are always people out there who are willing to help. You just have to learn to trust them. I really loved this cover; even though it seems a little cocky you can see a little bit of that lost person in that picture. I will say that the title really doesn’t do this book justice because it’s so much more than him being an attractive guy that girls levitate to, so much more.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

When I began reading this book, I thought that Travis was a bit of a jerk, giving the school counsellor the run around, and going out and using girls. It soon becomes apparent that he’s like that to hide what is truly bothering him; his home life. This story is more about a guy, down on his luck, struggling with day to day life, who wants to make a better life for himself.

It was interesting to see the complications that Travis has had to deal with. His father is gone, his mother’s not well and it’s up to Travis to get the money for rent. He works as much as he can, to try and avoid being evicted. Even at lunch times he volunteers at the community center so that he can bring meals home for his mother and himself. He gets into the Discoverers program at the local firestation and has finally found a passion that he wants to pursue.

Along the way there are obstacles that Travis has to deal with and it seems to become a losing battle. I was smiling at the good times, but I often shed a tear when things were looking bad for him and his mother. It seems unreal to know that people go through these types of things and are left with nothing. But Travis never lost hope and his will and determination got him through. He really is a fantastic guy and I was hoping things would turn out ok for him.

Of course there is a romantic relationship thrown in that turned the player into an honourable guy; a girl from the community center. She was able to give Travis more purpose, but being a guy in trouble, he didn’t open up to her and tell her his troubles. I liked seeing their relationship building slowly; it was sweet and didn’t begin immediately.

I enjoyed Anne Pfeffer’s writing style, as we breezed through some times of Travis’ life, and I really enjoyed the male POV. It was amusing to see him unravel his thoughts and see what he was thinking. He is really a good guy hidden by his looks and charm. The details of fire fighting life – the drills and training that they go though – were interesting too. But the thing that I loved about this story was the ups and downs and how emotionally connected I felt to Travis that he brought tears to my eyes. I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely scope out more from this author in the future!

I just wanted to thank Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction for this book! I won it in her Blogoversary giveaway!

[Kirke · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Don't judge a book by it's cover. The title and the cover make it seem like this is some fluffy story about some player who finally might get serious about some girl. But very soon you realize it's so much more than that. Skipping school is not something Travis wants to do, but he's forced by circumstances. His dad is in jail and lately the only thing his mother does is sleep, so it's up to him to earn money, making sure they have a roof above their heads and that they can eat.

So not everything is as easy as it may seems and nobody knows what's going on. Travis also doesn't want anyone to know. He's prideful and is convinced he can turn it all around, so he refuses to open up to other people and admit he needs help.

There are opportunities for him, like the teen program at the local fire station, which really make him dream and believe in a better life. Also there is Kat or rather maybe Zoey. Somehow Travis ends up working at the Community Center, helping feed the homeless people. She doesn't know how close Travis is to being on the other side of the food counter.

Travis is convinced that if anyone knows the truth about him, they would reject him, he would get kicked off the fire station's teen program and people would pity him. Still how long can one guy keep fighting, keep pushing anyone away...

Girls might love Travis Walker, but there is so much more to the guy than meets the eye. Using his good looks and charms, he can sweep pretty much anyone of their feet and keep them out of his business. When the situation gets out of his control, he will be forced to make some tough decisions.

I really adored this book, but honestly it often had me closer to tears than laughter, the story is so heartbreaking. Like any girl I fell for Travis Walker, not for the superficial screen he shows everybody but for the boy behind the mask. Through the entire book you keep hoping he can make it out of these dreadful situations and I even felt like cheering him on, convinced he can make something good out of his life, that he's worth it.

Anne Pfeffer did an awesome job with this story. I definitely recommend it, seeing as it stands out from other YA and NA novels thanks to the complexity and depth, making it a book you won't forget.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most realistic New Adult novels I've ever read. No kidding. It just felt so honest and real.

Yes, Travis was such a flirt. But then he became like that for a reason. I'm not even saying that what he did was right. All I'm saying is the fact that he became what he was for a reason. Unlike with some other characters I've read, I cannot truly understand why they act like that. As for Travis, it was truly understandable.

Everything that happened in Travis' life seemed so common in a lot of people. That was what made it feel so realistic. Also, there's more to Travis than being a sort-of douchebag and suddenly falling in love. His whole life was practically a wreck and falling in love was like in the least of his expectations but it came and from then on, he felt the need to strive more and achieve more.

His passion for being a firefighter was so admirable. It's one of those things you wish everyone will realize. I mean, not to be a firefighter but something else even. Even after all the struggles he encountered, he still wanted to be that something who helps other people. I also like the fact that he didn't give up for his Mom. Damn, I wanted to strangle his Mom. No, really. She was the adult. He didn't even finish high school then she was telling him to keep that apartment. I was so frustrated. But then I realized that his Mom was sick and tired.

The romance even didn't disappoint. Travis thought that it's all about looks but then he realized there's more to it than just the outside and that is, personality. It was kind of funny when he actually realized he was falling in love. Like it was never meant to happen or maybe he just didn't really think he could experience it. But he did and it was really honest. Just so romantic. Oh, and you'll be surprised as to how love came to him. Just when he thought he was actually smitten by a girl, someone made him feel it even more.

Girls Love Travis Walker is a nice NA novel. A lot of people can actually learn one or two things from Travis' life. Failures, hopes, forgiveness and love are all here. You'll never be disappointed and yes, you'll swoon because Travis was really a gentleman and a nice guy.

Originally posted at The Bookish Confections

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was about Travis Walker, a 19yr old kid, who got dealt the short straw in life. It is about how he copes by keeping his pride in tact, not letting many people in and trying his best to just get by. Once one bad thing would happen, it seemed as if a snowball effect took place and his whole world crumbled. A lot of the time I was scrunching my face up while reading this book because let's face it no one wants to see a kid have to deal with such hardships and Travis Walker sure had a lot of them.

A book that just has to be read to the very end because you can't leave until you know how things turn out. This is a story about fighting for your dreams, not letting adversity defeat you and realizing that there is always, always someone there to hold your hand. I wasn't expecting to be so moved by this story, but I was. I wasn't expecting to cry happy and sad tears during this book, but I did.

Travis is such an amazing spectacular character, you can't help but to fall in love with him. On the surface people thought he had it all. He was good looking, could get any girl he wanted and usually did but there was so much more to him underneath all that. He was a typical guy in certain scenes that just made you groan and then another scene would take place and you were back to loving him once more.

Zoey was the girl that worked at the community center with Travis. He helped her with the lunch rush between his day job and they became fast friends. Zoey was the girl who passed her friend Kat a letter about why Kat should go out with Travis. Zoey was the girl who had a boyfriend and a serious one at that. But Zoey was also a complex character too in this story. She was on her way to a bright future and just wanted to help out whoever she could along the way.

All the subplots in this book just fit in so well. There was the chance to be a fire fighter, the community center scenes, the scenes of Travis at home with his mom battling all sorts of things, his high school experience and so much more. The author did a great job at telling the story of this boy named Travis who did so much but ended up with so little. Heartwarming....



Funny, touching, and so interesting, this is a book that will inspire you with its characters and overall realness till the end!

[Gayle Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW

Travis Walker has been dealt lot of bad hands. His mother doesn't or can't help the family financially. She appears to be depressed. His father is a jailed felon. It has been up to Travis. In order to support the family he quit school to work full time. On top of that, he volunteered at a soup kitchen; he makes time to participate in the Fire Department''s Discovery Program with the desire of making something of himself. Travis just kept hitting brick walls every where he turned. I felt that Travis was a rare breed. These days there aren't too many young men who would give up what they wanted to take care of the family. But Travis kept going. Then his life hit rock bottom. I couldn't help but feel for Travis. Such burdens for such a young man. But he didn't give up, he kept on.

Zoey was the perfect match for Travis. She was strong, caring, down to earth. For both of them being only 19, the situations in their lives made them grow up before their time.

The story brought out a lot of reality. I know, as a reader, and I'm sure many of you do too, what it is like for your world to fall to pieces. When luck seems to be bad luck. When life gives you bad breaks that really hurt. The book has SO much reality in it. The book makes you stop and think that although you may have it bad, there is always someone who has it worse. The author has you stop and take a look at the things you do have, even if they are very small. The reader will also be reminded, don't take anything for granted, because tomorrow it may change for the worse. This is one very heart warming story that will tug at you on every page. I wanted so much for the best for Travis and his love for Zoey. I wanted Travis' life to turn around and let life give him some breaks. Will Travis tell Zoey his secret? Will life give Travis some breaks? My only problem with the book was it 's ending. Happily ever after? Life isn't like that. I won't go any further. Please pick up a copy of this book. This is a keeper that is well written with love, lessons to be thought upon and a real outlook on reality.

I was given a complimentary copy of GIRLS LOVE TRAVIS WALKER by Anne Pfeffer from Candace's Book Blog for my view of the book. No other compensation took place.